Takeaways from UH 82, LSU 76

Houston Cougars guard Nate Hinton (11) celebrates after a turnover during the second half of the NCAA basketball game between the Houston Cougars and the LSU Tigers at the Fertitta Center in Houston, TX on Wednesday, December 12, 2018. Houston defeated LSU 82-76.

Photo: Tim Warner/Contributor

Five takeaways from the University of Houston's 82-76 victory over LSU on Wednesday night at Fertitta Center:

Streaks aliveCould a special season be unfolding before our eyes? At 9-0, the Cougars matched the 1969-70 squad for the second-best start in school history. In the process, UH extended its home winning streak to 22 games, the second-longest in the nation. When full, Fertitta Center can be deafening and as ESPN2's Kevin Brown commented, "it's hard to think in here when this crowd gets going." UH plays the next six games at home and should be favored in every one of them.

Heart of the teamThis is Galen Robinson's team. He is the heart and soul of this team. He is what makes the Cougars go. His career has been defined for being a defensive specialist and a smart floor general. In the offseason Robinson pushed himself, taking more than 1,000 shots a day until his fingers began to bleed. In the last two home games, Robinson is averaging 19 points while shooting 58.3 percent. The timing of his offensive surge has been impeccable with leading scorers Armoni Brooks and Corey Davis Jr. struggling at times recently. "He's our leader," UH coach Kelvin Sampson said. "Tough kid."

Jarreau returnsGuard DeJon Jarreau, a UMass transfer, made his return to the lineup Wednesday after missing the last seven games. Jarreau has been away from the team following the death of his grandmother, suffered a deep gash on his finger in practice, was suspended for an undisclosed violation of team rules and, finally, last week had his expected return against Oklahoma State scratched when he suffered a Grade 1 MCL sprain in practice. Against LSU, Jarreau had two turnovers and went scoreless in two minutes. "That kid was like Christmas morning wanting to play tonight," Sampson said. "I think he can play a little bit better than he did. It was a tough start." As Jarreau eases back into the rotation it will help take some of the workload off Robinson, who played 38 minutes Wednesday.

Cougars win 'bloodbath'Before the game, LSU coach Will Wade said UH was as physical a team as the Tigers will play all season. "It's going to be a bloodbath," he said. UH held a 48-35 rebounding edge, including 18 on the offensive end. It was tough for either team to get in a flow during the first half, particularly the Cougars who do much of their scoring in transition, in a foul-infested game that had 51 calls and 76 trips to the free-throw line.

Davis continues to struggleFor the second time in the last three games, Davis was held below 10 points. He picked up his fourth foul right after halftime and sat most of the second half. As the team's top free-throw shooter, Davis came off the bench to make four critical free throws in the final 25 seconds. In the last three games, Davis is shooting 31 percent. He is 8-of-38 from 3-point range over the last five games. It's only a matter of time before Davis gets going. Until then, the Cougars must rely on production to come from elsewhere.

Joseph Duarte has been a sports reporter for the Houston Chronicle since August 1996. He currently covers college athletics, focusing on the University of Houston. Previously, he wrote about the Houston Astros from 1998-2002, Houston Texans from 2002-05 and the Texas Longhorns from 2005-09. He came to the Houston Chronicle as part of an internship through the Sports Journalism Institute in 1995.